114 nAVKXPoirr academv of xaturax sciENCEs. 



horizon of this stratum, are brought to view the remains of stone 

 walls of older ruins, which terminate Avithin four feet of the surface and 

 are covered by undisturljed layers of sand as deposited by the period- 

 ical ovei-flow; over all this now stands the long- since deserted ruin of 

 the pueblo above named. 



Human remains were discovered by Mr. Chittenden* — late of Prof. 

 Hayden's Survey — in the Hoven Weep, Colorado, four feet below the 

 surface. Two other skeletons were also found near Abiquiu, N. M., 

 twenty or thirt}' feet from an old ruin near the place where Dr. Yar- 

 row made his discoveries. From recent information 1 learn of the 

 existence of an ancient burial ground two miles from Camp Verde, A. 

 T., near the site of my investigations in 1871. (yd\n. Brayton, U. S. 

 A., stationed at that ])Ost about two years since, who, in making ex- 

 cavations for building stone over the site of an old ruin, found eight 

 or nine partially burned skeletons lying side by side mider the debris, 

 their appearance and suiToundings rather inducing the belief that they 

 had fallen while defending the building; the su])positi(jn being 

 strengthened l)y the fact that the older rare did not practice crema- 

 tion. 



The Rev. Sheldon .lackson informs me that in October, 1878, a 

 Mexican, in establishing a sheep ranch twelve miles north of Azul, N. 

 M., discovered some pottery twelve feet below the surface while dig- 

 ging for water. At the depth named, a protruding shelf of rock was 

 encountered, under which were found several vessels, only one of 

 which escaped being ])rf)ken by the pick and spade. These were 

 found on the original surface of the soil, and near the site of an old 

 spring which had long since been l)uried In' the soil. The vessel was 

 secured by Mr. Jackson, and is now in the National Museum. It 

 represents a duck, has a capacity of less than a gallon, the opening 

 being in th(^ top of the neck, wliich is about an inch in diameter 

 in the inside; color dark slate blue, witli ornamentations in l)lack, con- 

 sisting of the usual black lines and seri'ated markings so common to 

 all the older varieties. In several places there is considerable sur- 

 face erosion, due to the moisture of the soil in which it lay buried. 



It appears that in former times traffic had been carried on between 

 some of the Pueblos and the Aztecs, but to what extent is not known. 

 The Mexicans, besides employing several other species of green stones 



* Bull. U. S. Geolog. and Geograpli. Survev, II, page 47. See also Rep. 

 Chief of Eugiueers for 1875, p. 1006. 



